Bottle-type water coolers generally include an upright cabinet or housing containing a refrigeration unit and a liquid container which receives the mouth and neck portion of a inverted water bottle. Water flows from the bottle until the water level closes the bottle neck. Typically a refrigeration system cools the reservoir and the water being held there. Some systems are provided with an additional tank, supplied with water from the reservoir, and have a heating system which provides hot water. Water is dispensed by draining the reservoir, usually through a faucet. When the water level falls below the inverted bottle neck, air in the reservoir can enter the bottle, bubble to the top, and release more water to maintain the water level in the reservoir.
Inherent in the design of many of the water coolers or beverage dispensers currently in use are problems associated with sterility or cleanliness. Such problems may result from the materials from which the components which comprise the water flow path are formed. Thus, the potential for oxidation or general deterioration of the materials, particularly rust formation, tends to reduce the usefulness of such apparatus. Additionally, depending upon the location and environment of the dispenser, the type of water or other beverage used in the dispenser, the rate at which the water or other beverage is used, and the care taken to prevent introduction of foreign matter when a water bottle is replaced, particulate and other types of contaminants may be introduced to the liquid container and may be ultimately dispensed through normal operation. To maintain cleanliness, the components comprising the water flow path of conventional bottle-type water coolers require periodic cleaning to remove sediment or other contaminants, such as dirty film. The frequency of cleaning required for such water coolers generally depends, at least in part, on the above enumerated conditions.
Some of the difficulties related to maintaining a desirable level of cleanliness in such units are caused by the inaccessibility of the components which comprise the water flow path. Thus, many of the liquid containers are so constructed that it is difficult or impossible to clean all of the internal surfaces with these components in the housing. To remove these components from the housing also proves difficult with most of the water coolers currently being used. Disassembly or removal in most of the water coolers of this type typically requires either large expenditures of time, the use of tools and in some instances special tools, or the possible destruction of components of the water cooler, particularly seals, in the disassembly procedure, or a combination of the foregoing. The removal procedure and the attendant difficulties associated therewith tend to discourage the periodic maintenance required for cleanliness of such water or beverage dispensing systems.